Glasgow Airport ‘on the brink of sell-off’
13.08.08
Glasgow Airport is 'on the brink of a sell-off', the Herald reports. The newspaper says that BAA's owners, Spanish infrastructure giant Ferrovial, are looking at plans to put the airport on the market this month in a bid to avoid a full-scale break-up of BAA being imposed by UK watchdogs.
Earlier this year, the Competition Commission warned that the BAA monopoly in both Scotland and the south-east of England may be hurting passengers. Media reports suggested that the commission was now sure BAA's control of seven British airports, including Aberdeen, Glasgow and Edinburgh was harmful to the market. That, the Financial Times said, made sell-offs more likely.
Unnamed 'legal sources' have been cited saying the next round of findings would be an important step towards an order for BAA to sell an airport in Scotland and an airport in England. Officials from rival airport operators are said to be have been consulted by the commission on what wider ownership would do for the industry.
Any sale would effectively end the near monopoly BAA enjoys in Scotland. Airlines argue competition between Glasgow and Edinburgh airports could bring down fares to and from central Scotland and have urged competition authorities to force BAA to sell one or the other.
The Herald reports that Ferrovial is eager to make its own calls on which airport to sell. Spanish managers visited Glasgow and Edinburgh earlier this summer to size the two airports up. Edinburgh is now the bigger of the two and is still growing, despite a downturn that has cut passenger numbers in Glasgow.
Glasgow Airport also faces more competition than Edinburgh, from low-cost rival Prestwick, and is now seen as the best sell.
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